Charlie Chaplin Chair

Charlie Chaplin ChairFor Kevin O'Callaghan's 3D Design class, I was given a child-size IKEA chair and asked to transform it into the secret childhood motivations of a randomly assigned celebrity, Charlie Chaplin.

This chair was sanded, re-stained, and beaten up to reflect Charlie's rough upbringing. It includes his quote written using chalk and type styles inspired by signage of the time. The chair's legs have been cut and hinges added so that the chair collapses easily when it is sat on—an effect both reminiscent of Charlie's gags and his struggle to find balance and security in childhood.

The Process

Final Product

When Charlie Chaplin was about 14 he was acting as an important sultan in a play. In the opening act, his turban fell over his face and the crowd roared with laughter. Charlie later reminisced that “There is nothing so humorous as the collapse of a man’s dignity;” a discovery that led to his famous comic style.